MY TESTIMONY


I WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN BORN

OF CHRISTIAN PARENTS, THE YOUNGEST

OF FOUR BOYS. WE LIVED ON A LARGE

FARM/RANCH TEN MILES SOUTH OF

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS. WE ATTENDED

THE FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH OF PRETTY

PRAIRIE, ELEVEN MILES FROM HOME.

SINCE WE WORKED LONG HOURS ON THE

RANCH, WE ONLY ATTENDED CHURCH ON

SUNDAYS.


I STARTED DRIVING THE TRACTOR AT AGE

SIX AND SPENT MANY, MANY HOURS ON IT

BEFORE GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

EVEN WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE, I SPENT

MANY WEEK-ENDS WORKING ON THE FARM.

I ENJOYED FARMING VERY MUCH. RUNNING

THE SELF PROPELLED COMBINE WAS A JOY

(AS WELL AS WORK OF COURSE) DURING

WHEAT HARVEST.


DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR IN HIGH

SCHOOL I ENROLLED IN THE CATECHISM CLASS

AT OUR CHURCH. THE COURSE RAN FOR TWO

YEARS. TWO WEEKS BEFORE GRADUATION WE

WERE FOREWARNED THAT WE WOULD BE

BAPTIZED AND ASKED TO GIVE OUR TESTIMONY

BEFORE THE CONGREGATION. WE WOULD THEN

BECOME MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH.


ONE BOY, WHO WAS CLINICALLY BLIND,

SAID HE "WASN'T GOING TO BE BAPTIZED."

THE PASTOR ASKED WHY. HIS REPLY WAS

THAT HE "WASN'T A CHRISTIAN." THAT

REALLY SHOCKED ME. I JUST ASSUMED THAT

WE WERE ALL CHRISTIANS. AFTER ALL WE

WERE ATTENDING CHURCH AND ALSO THE

CLASS. I KNEW THAT I LOVED JESUS AND

WANTED TO SERVE HIM. HOWEVER, THE HOLY

SPIRIT USED THE BOY'S STATEMENT TO WORK

ME OVER (CONVICT ME) AND THE FOLLOWING

SATURDAY AFTER PUTTING MY HORSE AWAY I

KNELT RIGHT THERE IN THE HORSE BARN AND

ASKED GOD TO FORGIVE ME OF MY SINS AND

INVITED JESUS CHRIST TO COME INTO MY

HEART BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A CHRIST-

IAN MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD.

WELL, HE DID COME IN AND BECOME MY

SAVIOR.


THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS STILL WORKING

WITH ME, I GUESS, BECAUSE I TOLD GOD

"I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BECOME A

MINISTER BECAUSE I WASN'T GOOD AT

ENGLISH AND I HATED HISTORY." OF

COURSE, I ASSUMED THESE WERE REQUIRE-

MENTS AND THAT GOD WAS UNABLE TO HELP

ME. I TOLD GOD THAT INSTEAD I WOULD

BECOME A TEACHER AND HELP IN THAT WAY.


I FULFILLED MY VOW. I ATTENDED

OUR MENNONITE COLLEGE, BETHEL COLLEGE,

IN NORTH NEWTON, KANSAS. I GRADUATED

WITH A MAJOR IN MATHEMATICS AND MINOR

IN EDUCATION, WITH A CERTIFICATE TO

TEACH IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS. MY

MATH PROFESSOR TALKED ME INTO GOING

ON TO GRADUATE SCHOOL SO I ATTENDED

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY. AFTER RECEIV-

ING MY MASTER'S DEGREE I TAUGHT ONE

YEAR AT KEOKUK SR. H.S. AND COMMUNITY

COLLEGE, KEOKUK, IOWA. I MOVED BACK

TO KANSAS AND TAUGHT FOUR YEARS AT

WICHITA UNIVERSITY. THEN I HEARD OF

AN OPENING IN A CHURCH-RELATED COLLEGE,

THE DESIRE OF MY HEART. I BECAME THE

MATHEMATICS CHAIRMAN AT MCPHERSON

COLLEGE WHERE I TAUGHT FOR THIRTEEN

YEARS. I TOOK A TWO YEAR LEAVE WHILE

TEACHING THERE TO RECEIVE A DOCTORATE

AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. DURING

MY 13TH YEAR AT MCPHERSON COLLEGE I

FELT AS THOUGH GOD WAS SPEAKING TO ME,

"ANYONE CAN TEACH MATHEMATICS, BUT WE

NEED MORE PEOPLE TO BE PREACHING THE

WORD OF GOD." I WAS INTERESTED IN

TEACHING ABROAD AND THOUGHT THIS WOULD

BE THE TIME TO DO IT. I INQUIRED

THROUGH THE CHURCH WHERE I MIGHT TEACH

AND ALSO BE IN MINISTRY. THIS LED MY

WIFE AND I TO THE COLUMBUS SCHOOL IN

MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA.

I TAUGHT ANALYSIS IN 11TH GRADE AND

CALCULUS IN THE 12TH GRADE FOR THREE

YEARS AND ALSO WORKED WITH MISSIONARIES.

WE ALSO ENCOURAGED AND HELPED THE LOCAL

MENNONITE CHURCH WITH THE "I FOUND IT"

CAMPAIGN. MY WIFE AND I WERE DIRECTORS

OF THE MCPHERSON COUNTY CAMPAIGN WHILE

STILL IN THE STATES. JUST BEFORE GOING

TO SOUTH AMERICA, WE STARTED ATTENDING

A SPIRIT-FILLED HOME BIBLE STUDY. MANY

WERE MEMBERS OF FULL GOSPEL BUSINESS

MEN'S FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL (FGBMFI).

WE ATTENDED SEVERAL OF THEIR DINNER

MEETINGS. WE WENT TO ONE WITH SPECIAL

SPEAKERS, THE HAPPY HUNTERS, WHERE WE

RECEIVED THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.

THIS WAS THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE SINCE

RECEIVING JESUS AS SAVIOR. IT WAS

NEEDED TO REMOVE ALL THE "PHARISAIC"

ATTIITUDE I HAD AND TO ENDOW ME WITH

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT AND FILL MY

HEART WITH THE JOY AND LOVE OF THE LORD.

LATER, WE ATTENDED A FGBMFI WEEK-END

RETREAT WHERE REV. GERALD DERSTINE WAS

THE SPEAKER. HE MENTIONED SOMETHING

ABOUT AN INSTITUTE OF MINISTRY SCHOOL

AT THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN BRADENTON,

FLORIDA. EVEN WHILE WE WERE STILL IN

SOUTH AMERICA WE APPLIED FOR THE SCHOOL.

AFTER RETURNING TO THE STATES, WE

ATTENDED THE SPRING SCHOOL. THEY ALSO

STARTED A PASTORAL TRAINING SCHOOL AND

I WAS ONE OF THEIR FIRST GRADUATES.


MY FIRST MINISTRY POSITION WAS WITH

THE WORSHIP CENTER CHURCH OF BRADEN-

TON, FLORIDA AS DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION.

I HELPED START A BIBLE COLLEGE AND DAY

SCHOOL, K-12. AFTER TWO YEARS, GOD

LED US BACK TO CHRISTIAN RETREAT TO

TEACH IN THE I.O.M. FOR A SHORT TIME.

WE HAVE CONTINUED TO REMAIN IN FLORIDA

WHERE WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN VARIOUS

MINISTRIES, INCLUDING HOME BIBLE

STUDIES, NURSING HOME MINISTRY, PRISION

MINISTRY, PROMISE KEEPERS AND THE FULL

GOSPEL BUSINESS MEN'S FELLOWSHIP.


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